NHL

One of my favourite shoots to do every year is with the NHL Calgary Flames Fire & Ice Crew – also known as the Big Country Ice Crew. I had been thinking of a few different shoot concepts that would work well this this energetic and fun group, and knew I had made up my mind when this particular idea took root. Like any commercial shoot, there was a lot of planning that happened in advance, testing different lighting techniques, building the required props, and securing access to facilities and coordinating tight schedules. It was a fair bit of work, but I couldn’t be happier with the results. I had a blast working with them, but I definitely wasn’t working alone on this project. A huge thanks to Ryan for subjecting himself to a shower of sparks and lighting dozens and dozens of sparklers, and for being my extra set of hands and eyes at the shoot. Also, I’d like to thank Madd Pretty for doing a fantastic job of making sure the crew looked their very best in the makeup chair. Also, I couldn’t have pulled this off without the help and support of the Calgary Flames employees (especially Greger), Scotiabank Saddledome, and the Ice maintenance crew. Finally – thank you to all the beautiful and fun women from the Fire & Ice crew!!

For this second round of portraits for the Calgary Flames Fire & Ice crew, I thought it would be fun to head up to the rafters in the Scotiabank Saddledome, since the last round of shots I did were underneath the lower bowl seating area. Lugging the heavy lights up those extra flights of stairs I started to wonder if it was such a good idea. It never ceases to amaze me how much time I spend packing, unpacking, and carrying an ever-growing assortment of gear with me on commercial shoots. Normally I love to travel light, but in commercial work you really need to have all of your kit ready to go (not sitting in a truck in the parking lot).